Disclaimer: that info is not approved by the FDA or to be used as treatment advice. Patients took either 130 mg/kg/day of omega 3 fatty acids or 9 capsules/day of corn oil. Serum levels of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), IL-2, IL-6, and IL-8 and tumor necrosis factor alpha were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at baseline and during the study.

RESULTS. olaf.adam@lrz.uni-muenchen.de

BACKGROUND: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) improve on a vegetarian diet or supplementation with fish oil. In the group taking fish oil, there were significant decreases from baseline in the mean (+/- SEM) number of tender joints (5.3 +/- 0.835; P

CONCLUSION. There was no organization within IgM rheumatoid factor and dietary protein antibodies. A breakdown in gastrointestinal tolerance to dietary antigens may play a role in the immunopathogenesis of RA in these patients who might therefore benefit from dietary manipulation.

PMID: 2767736 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Anti-inflammatory effects of a low arachidonic acid diet and fish oil in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Medizinische Klinik Innenstadt der LMU, Ziemssenstrasse 1, 80336 Munich, Germany. Placebo diclofenac was substituted at week 18 or 22, and fish oil supplements were continued for 8 weeks (to week 26 or 30). whether those with rheumatoid arthritis eat according to what the research shows, soon after drugs may not have to be taken any longer and further joint destruction may not occur.

To summarize the studies:

• high arachidonic acid leads to inflammatory, unstable cell membranes which flare RA patients
• fish oil has shown to be effective in reducing arachidonic levels and thereby lowering inflammation
• vegan diets have shown to be effective in reducing symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis patients
• removing gluten containing foods has shown to be useful
• not eating dairy and cheese has shown considerable improvement in rheumatoid arthritis
• eliminating food intolerances/allergens has been shown to be useful
• poor intestinal health leads to increased food allergens causing rheumatoid arthritis

Read the full studies:

• Rheumatoid arthritis and food: a case study

• Vegan Diet Free of Gluten improves Rheumatoid Arthritis

Read additional research abstracts:

IgA rheumatoid factor and IgG dietary protein antibodies are associated in rheumatoid arthritis.

School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, U.K.

This study sought to determine whether patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were immunologically sensitised to dietary protein (DP). In AID patients, as compared to WD patients, fish oil led to a significant reduction in the numbers of tender (28% vs 11%) and swollen (34% vs 22%) joints (P0.01), 11-dehydro-thromboxane B(2) (15% vs 10%, P

CONCLUSION: A diet low in arachidonic acid ameliorates clinical signs of inflammation in patients with RA and augments the favourable effect of fish

oil supplementation.

PMID: 12548439 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Effects of high-dose fish oil on rheumatoid arthritis after stopping nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. These results demonstrate that in RA, raised levels of IgA RF are associated with an increased IgG response to antigens which enter the body through the gastrointestinal tract. Sixty-six RA patients entered a double-blind, placebo-controlled, prospective study of fish oil supplementation while taking diclofenac (75 mg twice a day). Clinical and immune correlates.

Division of Rheumatology, Albany Medical College A-100, NY 12208, USA.

OBJECTIVE. Patients taking dietary supplements of fish oil exhibit improvements in clinical parameters of disease activity from baseline, including the number of tender joints, and these improvements are associated with significant decreases in levels of IL-1 beta from baseline. DESIGN: Single-blind dietary intervention study.

SUBJECTS AND STUDY INTERVENTIONS: that study evaluated the influence of a 4-week, very low-fat (approximately 10%), vegan diet on 24 free-living subjects with RA, average age, 56 +/- 11 years old. Patients in both groups were allocated to receive placebo or fish oil capsules (30 mg/kg body weight) for 3 months in a double-blind crossover study with a 2-month washout period amidst treatments. In AID patients, but not in WD patients, the numbers of tender and swollen joints decreased by 14% during placebo treatment. Using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), antibodies to milk and wheat proteins were measured in 93 unselected out-patients with classical or definite RA. The data here is published with full copyright by HealthE Goods and Benjamin Lynch.
Biochemical measures and 4-day diet details were plus collected. Outcome measurements: Prestudy and poststudy assessment of RA symptomatology was performed by a rheumatologist blind to the study design. To determine the following: 1) whether dietary supplementation with fish oil will allow the discontinuation of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA); 2) the clinical efficacy of high-dose dietary omega 3 fatty acid fish oil supplementation in RA patients; and 3) the effect of fish oil supplements on the production of multiple cytokines in that population.

METHODS.